A major step could be imminent in the sometimes tenuous relationship between Major League Baseball and Japan's professional leagues.

Left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, the likely first pick in Japan's amateur draft next month, is getting plenty of attention from major league scouts in anticipation of a decision that could come this week whether he'll break precedent and skip Japanese pro ball to sign with an MLB organization out of high school.

Kikuchi, 6-foot-1 with a mid-90s fastball, has said several times since starring in Japan's national high school tournament this summer that he wants to play professionally in the USA and is strongly considering making the move now.

Hiroshi Sasaki, his coach at Hanamaki Higashi High School, told Japan's Kyodo News Service that "(Kikuchi) says he is about 50-50" and that a decision could come this week.

Amateurs must declare for Japan's Oct. 29 draft by Oct. 15. If Kikuchi wants to sign with a major league organization, he must convince all 12 Japanese teams not to draft him, otherwise he would face a three-year ban from Japan's major leagues should he ever choose to return to his homeland.

The 18-year-old struck out the side against ChukyUday Chukyo, the national high school champions, in his only inning Monday at Japan's National Sports Festival. Scouts from the 12 Japanese teams and eight major league teams attended, according to Kyodo.

Major league clubs have little to say about Kikuchi, though Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik says, "Oh, we're certainly aware of him."

"A pitcher as good as he is, if he wants to go to the major leagues, it's our job to see him," Cleveland scout Dave DeFreitas told Kyodo.

So far, no Japanese high school players have bypassed their domestic draft to come to MLB. By staying, they lock themselves into nine seasons before they're eligible for free agency. They can leave only if their Japanese team allows them to enter the posting system in which MLB teams can bid for the right to negotiate with them.

MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said its agreement with Japanese clubs "does not preclude the signing of amateur players."

Boston signed pitcher Junichi Tazawa last winter before he played professionally in Japan. But he had played four seasons in an industrial league after finishing high school. His departure led to Japan's leagues putting in place the three-year ban.

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